Uh, Table For Two?
by lunaarlily
Summary: Leon; a blunt barista with a on fleek fringe. When a certain Icelandic comes in to a well known bubble tea place looking for a part time job, sparks (and tapioca pieces) fly in the air. Modern Day AU. HongIce and DenNor!
1. This Stranger and his Perfect Hair

**Hi everyone. Thanks for seeing this. I know that HongIce isn't too popular of a shipping, but regardless if you ship or not or even if you have no opinion on it, I'd really appreciate it if you took a chance with my fic. Thank you! **

_Wait, this is the place Lukas told me to go to?_

* * *

It all started when Emil decided he was going to get a part time job for the summer. Not that he was poor, mind you, but because having to ask his older brother Lukas for money constantly was a nuisance. Constantly being nagged by Lukas to call him "big brother" didn't help either.

He flipped through the morning paper that got delivered to their apartment everyday, looking through all the ads that were wanting new workers. Duct cleaning didn't really suit his tastes, he remembered his brother talking quite harshly at the phone whenever they called, threatening to sue them for whatever reason. Starbucks was an option, but the only one close to his home had his brother's friend Matthias working there, and there was no way that he wanted to spend any more time with that guy that he had to. Convenience stores, student secretaries at various offices, it just wasn't what he was looking for.

"Any luck?" Lukas asked, taking a sip of his coffee while reading over some work.

"Nothing so far, it seems like there's nothing available." Emil said, sighing as he threw the paper down.

"Well then, if you can't find anything now, I need you to go and buy me some two rose jasmine tea boxes. It's at this place called Yao's Palace, right next to Tino and Berwald's apartment."

"Sure, but can't you do that yourself?" Emil questioned, getting up to put on some shoes.

"In the middle of exam period little brother."

"D-don't call me that!" Emil stuttered, grabbing the keys furiously.

"I know you like it little brother." Lukas said, a smirk creeping on his face.

Emil slammed the door.

* * *

The outside of the store, firstly, was like nothing Emil had ever saw. The building was bright red with gold accents and letters. The words "Yao's Palace" were on the second level of the building, a dragon made out of what he could swear was pure gold on the roof.

_Two floors? Is the store THAT gigantic?_

Suddenly, a girl standing outside the store wearing a white kitty costume with a red bow on top handed him a flyer.

"50% off on all horoscope drinks!" She cheerfully said with an Taiwanese accent.

Emil nodded before entering the shop, a bell tingling when he opened the door.

"This place is hu-"

"YONG SO! STOP PLAY THAT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS GAME AND GET BACK TO MAKING DRINKS RIGHT NOW!"

He turned his head to see a young Chinese woman (At least, he thought it was one.) yelling at what appeared to be a flight of stairs tucked in beside the entrance. Within a few seconds, a teenage Korean came dashing down, trying to tie his apron and attach his name tag on his shirt at the same time.

"I was in the middle of a battle though, da-ze!" He pouted, running through the shop and into the kitchen.

_How can a worker play computer games like that?..._

Ignoring the incident, Emil directed his attention back down to trying to find the tea sets. Scanning the front, he was surprised they weren't right there.

"Yo, table for one?"

Emil looked up to see another Asian teenager with choppy dark brown hair that came down to his jaw, big light brown eyes, and what he could swear were the largest eyebrows he'd see on anyone in his entire life.

"I-it's alright." He quietly muttered, as he was shy around strangers. This stranger though, with his bored expression and Cantonese accent, made him even more nervous than usual.

_It's just the eyebrows Emil, nothing else._

"Where are your tea sets?" Emil asked, trying his best not to stare at him.

"Right next to you."

He turned to his right to see three rows of multiple tea sets stacked on top of each other, multiple Asian brands with characters he couldn't read scrolled on top.

_Idiot idiot idiot idiot IDIOT._

"Oh. Thanks."

Emil quickly averted his gaze to the tea sets available, trying to find the one his brother requested.

_Green tea, Pu-reh, Chrysanthum...Rose Jasmine!_

He took two boxes and handed them to the cashier.

"Here."

The stranger scanned them quickly and put them in a plastic bag. "Twelve dollars."

Emil reached into his pocket for his wallet, then starting to fumble around when he realized there was nothing in his jeans pocket.

_Shit, I forget money._

He was staring at him weirdly, waiting for him to give the cash. Emil was _thisclose_ to just putting the boxes back and dashing out of the store, never to return, but he knew that he wasn't going to be allowed in the apartment until the tea was brought back home.

"Uh, I kind of forget um, my wallet. Can I run back really quick and get it? Um, I don't live too far from here and all so yeah."

To his surprise, the teen shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

That took Emil by surprise even more.

"Y-you sure?"

"Totally."

He handed Emil his bag.

"Thanks." He muttered, looking down at the ground to hide the warmth coming from his face.

The stranger nodded before propping his elbow on the cashier desk. "The name's Leon."

"Emil." He quietly said.

"Nice." Leon answered.

They stared at each other for a few moments when Emil noticed a poster right next to Leon.

_**WE'RE HIRING NOW! SPEAK TO AN WORKER FOR DETAILS.**_

"You're hiring?!" Emil blurted out.

"Yep. You interested?"

Emil nodded.

"Come back here tomorrow night, and I'll talk to my boss about it." Leon said, a thin smile growing on his lips.

"Sure then. And, I'll pay you back tomorrow." Emil offered, not wanting Leon to think he was cheap.

_Wait, why do I care about how this stranger thinks about me?_

"Cool."

Another silence followed.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow." Leon said, blowing the fringe out of his eyes.

"Yeah."

Emil turned to exit the store when Leon called his name.

"Emil, right?"

"Oh, yes."

"I like your muscles." Leon blurted out; as if it was nothing in the world to say something out loud like that, much less to some guy you just met.

"I-I don't have any muscles!" Emil stated, his face red before opening the door and leaving the shop.

Leon was smiling when he said that.

He kept walking, bag in hand. His steps becoming quicker, his heartbeat strangely faster. He ran a finger over the shape of his lips before looking down at the ground, his face on fire.

_And I was too._

* * *

**Oh, Iceland's such a cutie. Thanks for reading! Reviews, Follows, Favourites are all greatly appreciated and welcomed. :]**


	2. Talking Never was My Thing

**So, here's chapter two. REVIEW FAVOURITE FOLLOW! (Maybe all three?) No pressure. I'll check you out if you do, I'm always looking for more authors to stalk. ;D**

* * *

_"Click."_

Emil unlocked the door and got into the little four room apartment he shared with his brother.

"Here's your tea." Emil threw down the plastic bag he'd been carrying on his brother's desk.

"Thanks." Lukas said, turning the pages of the Driving 101 study book he was reading.

"Want me to make a cup for you?"

Lukas got up and ruffled Emil's hair. "That won't be needed." He took the two tea boxes out of the bag and went into the kitchen.

_Okay then..._

With nowhere else to go, Emil decided to retreat to the bedroom he shared with his brother. Suddenly, he'd remember the offer he found.

"Oh and, I found a opening."

Lukas popped his head of the kitchen. "Where?"

"The same place you told me to go to. They're short on workers."

"You going for an interview?" Lukas asked.

"Not exactly...I talked to the cashier. He said he'd talk to the boss of the store."

Lukas nodded.

"I'm going tomorrow evening to see."

Lukas was about to say something, but suddenly the tea boiled.

* * *

_Seems sketchy, but go see._

That's what Lukas told him after he finished pouring the tea. And as Emil was now in bed after a long day of completing schoolwork and helping Lukas quiz himself on the terms needed for the driving exam he had in two weeks, he realized that the entire thing was quite suspicious.

It could have been a scam. The entire process went really quickly; too quickly.

And Leon...

He found his mind turning to the cashier with a fringe that could swoon the entire country. And his eyes.

And how he said he liked his muscles. (Which, in Emil's opinion, were non-existent.)

Emil felt his face get warmer after thinking about that.

_You don't...just tell someone that. How blunt can he be?_

As Emil turned over on his bed to give his stuffed puffin (Who he swore could secretly talk.) a pat on the head, Emil realized something.

_I'm looking forward to tomorrow._

* * *

At 7PM, he finds himself standing outside Yao's Palace again. Since it was nighttime, the letters on the store were lighted in neon colors.

White polo shirt, black khaki pants, red socks and his tennis shoes. He didn't know if he had to dress casual or formal, so he decided to settle in for something in the middle. Heck, he didn't even know what would happen the moment he stepped through that door.

No interview, no application...

He forced his self-doubts out of his head. If they liked him, then maybe he'd get a position.

Maybe.

_Ting._

He opened the door to find himself in what could pass as a human traffic collision. People, servers, teenage girls with pink bows and "kawaii" phone straps, drinks, and the yelling of various Asian languages filled the room, making it seem almost suffocating for the Icelandic.

Dodging his way through a group of teenage girls speaking in rapid Japanese, he made his way to the cashier.

And there he was, Leon. A blunt teenager with eyebrows almost as messy as his choppy hair, and a fringe that could cut paper. He was looking down at his cell phone, texting away.

"Hey, welcome to Yao-"  
He looked up to see Emil.

"Hey."

Emil looked at him, showing the faintest of a smile.

"Hi."

Another silence filled between them, contrasting the background noise.

"So, I'm guessing you're here to talk to my boss, right?"

_Touché._

He nodded, trying his best not to look into his eyes, which currently were empty. As usual.

"Great, just follow me. I already told Yao you were coming. He's in the back, waiting for us."

Emil nodded.

"Got it."

"MEI!" Leon shouted. "I have to introduce pretty boy here the ropes of Yao's Palace. Can you take over the register?"

Mei was about to complain, but then her eyes turned to me, and she instantly brightened up. **(Oh Mei, you and your Yaoi fantasies. Thankfully for you, this one will be coming true. ;D)**

"On it!~"

Leon and Emil started walking toward the back of the shop, into a little room near the kitchen.

_PRETTY BOY PRETTY BOY PRETTY BOY PRETTY BOY. Did he just call me what I just thought he did? He thinks I'm pretty? How'd he say that so casually? HOW IS HE NOT CRIMSON RED WITH EMBARRASSMENT?!_

"Did you just call me pretty boy?" Emil blurted out, instantly regretting his question.

_Crap._

Leon looked at him as if he was a total dumbass.

"Pretty Boy, it's a South Korean saying that Yong So, who's another worker here, taught me. It basically means someone who looks pretty feminine for a guy. I forgot your name, so yeah."

"Oh." Emil muttered, trying his best not to show that it hurt.

_Ouch. He's blunt._

"Name again?" Leon asked.

"Emil." He answered, almost bitterly.

If Leon noticed, he didn't comment. He opened the manager door to where Yao was awaiting them.

"Yao, this is Emil."

Emil instantly looked at the floor. If there was one flaw that his seemingly "perfect exterior" had, it was his inability to look at people in the eye when meeting them. And public speaking. And interviews. And conversations in general.

"Nice to meet you...Emil." Yao said, giving him a warm smile and extending his hand, which Emil reluctantly shook back.

"Have a seat Emil." Yao said. "Leon, go help out Yong-So. I don't trust him out there with Kiku."

Leon nodded.

"Got it gramps. Break a leg Emil." Leon said, winking at him before exiting the room.

_...YOU LITTLE._

Emil couldn't see his expression in that moment, but he was sure that it was a combination of embarrassment and being uncomfortable, even though the truth was that when Leon winked at him, he felt like his heart was melting.

"Sorry about Leon, he's a bit...oblivious to his actions toward people."

"N-no worries." Emil said, focusing his gaze at the wooden floor.

"Anyways, hello there! How are you doing today Emil?" Yao said warmly, his amber eyes showing off warmth. His hair was in it's usual ponytail, and based on the pronoun that Leon called him by, Emil knew that he was a guy. And the owner of the famous bubble tea place that he was currently partaking in a job interview for. _Cripes._

"I'm doing alright, thanks for asking." Emil said, taking all his courage to look at Yao in the eye.

"Glad to hear that. So, why do you want to work in Yao's Palace?"

There it was, the question that every single interviewer asked their applicant.

The question that Emil didn't prepare for in advance.

He clutched his wallet in his pocket, remembering that he had to give the $12 back to Leon.

Leon.

Leon, with a choppy fringe and great charisma. The boy with a Cantonese accent and great dialect at his language, who was generally expressionless, and the most obliviously blunt person Emil's ever met. The guy who set Emil's face on fire and made him question his every move.

Leon, the reason he was there.

_Leon._

Emil took a breath, forcing his thoughts of the beautiful, blunt boy out of his mind.

"I want to work and be part of the community in Yao's Palace because when I first entered your store, I instantly felt the amazing atmosphere. It's very lively and quite...amusing at times."

Yao chuckled at that.

_Good, he's pleased so far. Keep going._

"Also, I want to be able to expand my horizons, and spend more time with other people. I love the diversity in your workplace, I think it's very refreshing and culturally rewarding, to have many types of people working together due to a passion. Your work environment is very bright and cheerful, and I love how packed and full-filling it feels to be inside, and I know that if I can have the opportunity to officially be an employee here, I will be able to channel that full-filling feeling to you, your other employees here, and the customers."

_Also due to the fact that I can't stop thinking of one of your workers, but you can't know that._

Emil took a breath, feeling his nerves finally settle and calm down, the butterflies in his stomach uprising when he realized that he was still awaiting a confirmed answer.

Yao was beaming.

"That's great in fact, I'm so pleased to hear that you like our operation system and atmosphere inside of my company. You're quite the remarkable person."

_Fire. On. Face._

Yao turned around and handed Emil an apron.

"THANK YOU!" Emil exclaimed.

"How could I not give someone like you the official position? You'll be a boba mixer, working to make the drinks. Leon, the worker who guided you here, will be happy to show you how to make the drinks."

Emil smiled. "Thank you so much."

Yao smiled even wider. "In fact, Leon couldn't stop talking about you last night. He told me about you, how you looked, and everything he knew. Seems like he's quite fond of you, which is always good to hear, I don't want my workers to be off in feuds all the time."

_Couldn't stop talking about you._

_About you, how you looked._

_Everything he knew._

_Fond of you._

Emil looked at the floor, the chair he was sitting on, his tennis shoes, ANYTHING that wouldn't show Yao that he looked like one of his homeland's erupting volcanoes.

"That's true, that would cause a bad work environment."

_But there's so much more behind what you just said._

"Exactly!" Yao said, standing up along with Emil. "I want to thank you for coming today, and I'm glad that you're part of the family now."

Yao wanted to hug Emil, but Emil extended his hand, which resulted in a very awkward hugshake between the two.

"You're free to go!" Yao said, I'll see you here tomorrow, 8AM."

Emil said his thanks and left the room, in where he crashed into Leon, who was waiting against the door.

"How'd it go?" Leon asked.

Emil smirked, holding up his new apron.

"How do you think it went?"

"YES!" Leon said, breaking into a grin.

There was an awkward silence.

"So...when will you be here next?" Leon asked.

"Tomorrow, 8AM."

"LEON GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND START MAKING DRINKS WITH ME, DA-ZEE."

Leon sighed. "I have to go."

Emil nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Emil." Leon said, giving a thin smile before running over to the counter.

That thin smile of Leon's was all he thought about the entire walk home.

When he got to his apartment flat, he reached into his pocket, feeling a leather wallet.

_Shit._

_I forgot to give the money._


	3. The Trek to Cute Hell

**You guys kick major arse! Thanks for all the favorites and follows, Hongice is growing, and that couldn't make me happier! Remember to review, follow, and favorite! Okay? Okay good. Thanks again! :)**

* * *

"I got the job!"

Those were his first words when he stepped inside his flat, holding his rolled-up apron proudly in his hands.

"Congratulations little brother." Lukas said, his mouth in a small smile, which for the often expressionless man, was quite the emotional reaction.

"Don't call me that." Emil said, removing his shoes and then proceeding to walk over to his brother, who was hunched over in his pajamas with a book in hand. (Quite an unlikely sight for the Norwegian, Lukas liked to stay crisp and fresh in his appearance.)

"What happened to good posture?" Emil joked, smirking as he hung his new apron up to keep it looking fresh and clean.

Lukas didn't respond, instead choosing to turn the pages of his book.

"You going to sleep?" Lukas asked him.

"I guess so."

"Good night then, little brother."

"Good night." Emil said quickly, trying to escape out of the room before Lukas could sa-

"Where's the rest of my greeting?" Lukas asked innocently, although that was the complete opposite of his intentions.

"...Big brother."

Emil stormed off into their bedroom, not wanting to see Lukas's satisfied grin.

* * *

That night, Emil had a dream. Or, more accurately, he had multiple ones.

Ones with future mishaps at his new workplace that send shivers up his spine once he awoken from them. Ones that were in full black and white. Ones that were confusing and blurry; filled with anguish filled moments and twisted endings that he was never brave enough to stay asleep for; he wasn't one to admit it, but those dreams scared him. Others were brighter and happier dreams; ones with sunshine radiating from the atmosphere of the vision.

All of them, however, had Leon. And that's what confused Emil.

* * *

He awoke to the ringing of his phone alarm with bloodshot red eyes in the morning, the type his brother's friend had whenever he got hungover, which was quite often.

_Those dreams...they were intense...almost intense to throw me off my game today._

_But not intense enough._

Emil looked to the side to see the time on his clock. It was 7AM, and it was officially the beginning of his first day at work in _Yao's Palace_, working alongside a cheery Taiwanese girl, a loud and almost obnoxious Korean teen, a quiet and polite Japanese man, and a warm and energetic boss.

Alongside with a hard to read teenage Cantonese teenager, with choppy dark brown hair and amber eyes, impossibly messy eyebrows, and with a really, _really_ good smile. The kind that makes you want to smile back, not only because it's so rare for the person to actually be smiling, but also because your heart just felt warmer and you could feel your exterior melting _and_ _I'm rambling again._

Despite the time, his brother was already out of the flat, meaning that Emil had the apartment all to himself. Getting up finally from his bed, he brushed his teeth, combed his hair, washed his face, and ate a light breakfast. For clothes, since it was summer, he settled with a white polo shirt and dark red khaki pants, wearing his shiny tennis shoes. He grabbed his hanged up apron and his keys, exiting the room.

_Let today be a good one, please._

Wishing on whatever lucky morning stars that were still miraculously shining at 7:30AM, he set off to the store, apron in his hand, courage in his heart.

_Wait..._

Emil ran back upstairs and retrieved his wallet, tucking it in his pants pocket.

_There._

* * *

Not even five minutes into his trek, he bumped into someone.

"Sorry." He said, looking up to see that it wasn't just anyone. In fact, it was Matthias, a Danish man who was friends with his brother, (although Emil swears he feels something more than friendship between them) and who was also a little too crazy, energetic, and just...loud for Emil. Especially when it was just the two of them. In the morning. In the _r__eally_ early morning.

"Hey Emil! What's up?" He exclaimed, pulling Emil into a bone crushing hug.

_Cripes, it's Matthias._

"T-too tight...and I'm fine." Emil stuttered, trying to loosen himself out of the Danish man's grip.

Matthias let go of the hug and rested his elbow on Emil's shoulder, much to Emil's hidden discomfort. "I heard from Lukas that someone landed himself a job! Man, my little Emil is growing up so fast! What's the job for?"

_Damn you Lukas, telling your "secret boyfriend" everything._

Emil sighed and removed Matthias's elbow, releasing the tension and weight from it.

"Bubble tea store, it's Yao's Palace."

"Never heard of it." Matthias said.

_You literally work at a competing store that's neck to neck in competition, how have you not heard of it? It's literally two blocks away._

That's when Emil noticed a small white gift bag being held by the Danish man, a wrapped gift poking out of the bag opening.

"What is that?"

Matthias, surprisingly, quieted down and said, "Uh, a present for someone."

Emil was about to ask who the gift was for, but, as soon as Matthias entered Emil's day, he left just as quickly, whisking away as fast as the wind that was currently blowing in the crisp morning air.

_Strange...he left so quickly._

With that out of the way and in the past, he continued his walk to his first day in training.

* * *

"Congrats Emil, you didn't die of sleep deprivation while making the trek here."

That was his first "warm" welcome into the store at exactly 7:50 AM. Emil was always a punctual person, and was almost never _ever_ late for anything.

He whipped his head around to see no other than Leon, with bed-head hair _(He can so pull off the "I didn't brush my hair yet I look totally hot" look,_ Emil thought.), apron on, and what looked like were...slippers?

"Says you, what's up with the slippers?" Emil asked jokingly, taking the chance to tie his apron around his waist.

"Comfy." He simply said, his voice so monotoned, it scared even Emil to some extent.

"Where...is everyone else?" Emil asked, looking around the building. No customers were here yet, and all he heard were the voices of him and Leon,

"We open at 10AM, I called you here early 'cause I need to teach you everything, newbie. You still don't know the ropes around here."

Emil blushed slightly. "Don't call me newbie." He stuttered.

"Whatever, follow me into the kitchen...newbie."

Leon walked off into the back of the store, leaving a dazed Emil following his footsteps.

_I swear I could hear the smirk in his voice when he said that._

* * *

"Welcome to the kitchen, where all the magic happens." Leon said, although how he said it was so sarcastically spoken and non-expressive, it made Emil chuckle.

"Someone's excited to teach me." Emil said, following Leon.

"I am actually." Leon said, grabbing random ingredients such as condensed milk and a container of tapioca, which to Emil, looked like the spoiled milk carton that Matthias gave another friend of theirs, Tino, for April Fools (He got the stomach flu for a week after that.), and the tapioca like little...black balls. Seriously.

"First thing is tapioca pearls. I'll show you how to make the original flavour of boba along with that. Then, I'll teach you how to make the ones with fruit and other substances, and you can work it out from there."

"Detailed." Emil said sarcastically.

"I try." Leon said, a hint of humour in his voice.

Leon took a container of tapioca out.

"I already did this beforehand like, last night, but like, you have to soak the tapioca bubbles for a few hours to make them tender. Got that?"

Emil nodded. "100% understood."

Leon filled a pot with water and put it on boil. "Now, we wait. Since the tapioca takes the longest to produce, I'll show you how to make the original flavour and the pearls at the same time."

Moving at an immense speed, he grabbed cold black tea from the fridge, the condensed milk, and sugar syrup.

"Bubble tea time, bitches." Leon said sarcastically.

"Mix 3/4 cup of tea with ice, 2 tablespoons of cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar syrup in a shaker."

"Shaker?" Emil asked.

"Gets the flavours in better than a blender." Leon said, pouring his ingredients in.

"You seem quite...experienced. How long have you been doing this?" Emil asked, watching Leon intensely.

_At least this gives me an excuse to stare at hi- NO EMIL. You will not fall in love with Leon. _

"You want to shake things up?" Leon said, giving the shaker to Emil.

"Sure, I guess." Emil reluctantly said, timidly shaking the shaker.

"No Emil, harder; faster."

Leon looked at him with a cheeky smile, giving him a wink.

"...I hate your ass." Emil said, crimson while speeding up his movements.

" Tsk, don't discriminate." Leon said. "I thought you were open toward all booty types."

"Shut up." Emil said, on the verge of bursting at this point.

Leon stayed quiet, but remained a coy smile on his lips. "I think the mixture is good enough."

"Next?" Emil stopped shaking.

Leon grabbed the shaker and put it in the fridge. "The water's about to boil, so let's get back to tapioca. Take the tapioca pearls and put them in the water."

Emil grabbed the container and poured it into the boiling pot, stirring around.

"Make sure they don't stick." Leon said, watching over him.

"Got it." Emil responded.

_Very, very, VERY uncomfortable with Leon watching me. Especially so intently. Especially since I can't stare at him back. I wonder what his gaze look like right now..._

"Emil, don't mush up the tapioca."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked down to see the nearly mushed up tapioca.

"S-sorry about that..." Emil said.

_Cripes. This is going to be a long day..._

* * *

"We did it!" Leon said, exhausted.

Emil looked at the table to admire what he created, with the help of Leon. Tapioca pearls, two original milk tea drinks, a honeydew, taro, strawberry, and mango boba (Leon said that the fruits drinks were all the same when it came to steps, it just depended on what fruit you used), and he even made three of their famous horoscope drinks; Cancer, Leo, and Virgo.

"I'll teach you the rest tomorrow, we're about to open in...10 minutes."

"Am I working today?" Emil asked him.

Leon nodded no. "I think it's better if you go home and practice making what I taught you today. Tomorrow, you'll begin your first day."

"Got it. And...thanks for teaching me."

"No problem, pretty boy." Leon said with a small smirk, opening up a few cabinets to get some ingredients.

_You..._

"Take the tapioca and one of our shakers, so you can practice."

"Did you call me pretty boy again?" Emil blurted out.

_Shit._

To Emil's surprise, Leon started laughing. Really hard.

"Yes, yes I did. Glad to see you like the nickname." Leon said, still laughing.

"Shut up! I do not." Emil protested, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice.

"Sureeeee." Leon said, smiling to himself and passing Emil the ingredients.

"Here you go, pretty boy."

Emil grabbed the ingredients from him. "You suck."

"I try to."

The two teens looked at each other for a few seconds.

_Those eyes...I mean, eyebrows. Yeah, those eyebrows. Wow, he needs to fix those up. Yep._

That's when Emil remembered the money in his wallet.

"Oh yeah..here's the $12 I meant to pay you back from when I first came here."

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, retriving the $12.

"Here you go. Sorry for not paying you back yesterday."

"Thanks." Leon said, taking the money and putting it on the counter.

Another awkward, yet, almost relaxing silence filled the room.

"I like, really have to go, we're opening in like, five minutes." Leon said, cutting the silent aura in the room.

"Okay."

They stared at each other, not knowing what to do or say.

"Bye Leon, thanks for today." Emil said, giving the Canto a small smile before beginning to exit the room.

"Wait, Emil!"

Emil turned around to see Leon...holding a dollar.

"You gave me $13 instead of $12."

"Oh."

Trying to hide his disappointment, he took the dollar from his hand, touching Leon's fingers, clutching them.

_"Wait, did I just touch his hand OH MY GOD YES, HELVITIS* YES I DID._

_"_B-bye." Emil said, blushing slightly.

Dashing from the room, he was about to leave when he heard another worker.

"Leeeooon, where did you get that $11?!"

_...Wait, eleven?_

"From someone Im, you'll meet him tomorrow."

"How come you get free money?" Im asked.

"Cause I'm fabulous, and you're not."

_...Why'd he give me back a dollar then? Did he want to..._

His face red, he walked briskly out of the store, putting the dollar back in his pocket.

_...To hold my hand?_

Emil took the dollar out of his pocket.

_It's warm, like his touch._

_..._

Emil sighed and carried on his way home.

_I'm really acting lovesick now, aren't I?_

* * *

*** Hell in Icelandic.**

**Hormone filled and cute Emil is best Emil! ;D Thanks for reading. REVIEWWW AND FAVVOURRRITEEE AND FOLLOWWWW ok thanks. :)**


	4. IceIceBaby

**Thank woo guys for dem review and dem favorites and dem follows. : ) I so didn't expect 30 follows this fast, so...thank you guys! Let's have a party while we cry over the 2011 Halloween Party (THEY MET; MY BABIES MEET.) and drink bubble tea while eating licorice because...why not. (Actually, I hate licorice unless it's the really sweet and artificial red kind.) ...And I'm rambling, so let's get on with the chapter! (You get a free Leon smirk if you read this entire thing.) Also, to the guest reviewer that asked about the USUK story I wrote then took down a while ago, I actually have lost the files that contained it. : ( I'm sorry about that! It's been forever since I last updated...gomenasai!**

* * *

"Matthias likes you."

"He does not."

"He so does, and I know you like him back."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Lukas sighed in frustration. "What brought this up all of a sudden?"

Emil pointed to the wrapping paper and a hardback, beautifully designed Norwegian fairy tale book on the couch. "I bumped into Matthias while I was walking to the store in the morning. I saw the bag."

"How'd training go?" Lukas asked, trying to shift conversation around.

'You're changing the subject."

"It's a question."

"Yes, but that's not the point. You and him are secretly dating, and you're just trying to dodge the fact that I know about your romantic affairs." Emil announced.

Lukas froze, his face turning white. It lasted a split second, before he returned to his usual stoic exterior self.

"You're behaving so annoyingly little brother, we're only friends."

"I'm not the one with a secret boyfriend."

He doesn't say anything, and the mood turns even more tense. Lukas picks up the book he was reading and sips on his coffee, trying not to look at his younger brother, who was staring at his older brother with a look of longing curiosity in his eyes.

Sensing that there was nothing more he could coax out of his brother, he sighed and headed into the kitchen with the supplies that Leon gave him, ready to begin practicing the art of making bubble tea.

...Until the phone rang.

_Is there no peace in this apartment?_

Since the phone was right next to him, Lukas picked it up.

"Hello, this is the Bondevik residence."

Silence on Lukas's half, as he was listening to the receiver talk on the other end.

"You're a friend of Emil? Ok, I'll call him to the phone."

"EMIL. PHONE."

Emil sighed, and walked out of the other room to take the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?" Emil asked.

_If this is Matthias impersonating somebody again, I swe-_

"Pretty boy, what's up?"

_Leon called me._

Emil was silent.

"Hello?"

Silence.

_Leon called me. Leon called me. LEON CALLED ME._

_Holy puffin feathers, but how? ...How'd he get my phone number? I never recalled telling it to him. Or did I? Did he ask somebody? And why is he calling me? Did I fail training? Did they find somebody better than me? _

"Hey, you there?" Leon asked.

"How'd you get my phone number?" Emil blurted out, walking briskly to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

_...Cripes._

Leon groaned. "I had to dig through Yao's dusty ancient ass phone book to find your house's digits. It took me forever."

"Sorry about that...I guess I should have given you my phone number." Emil said.

"It doesn't matter, at least I can freely call you whenever I want." Leon replied, with a smirk to his voice.

"My brother would kill me if the phone bill went high. Don't do that." Emil argued.

"You have a brother?"

"He answered the phone, his name's Lukas."

"Older?" Leon asked.

"Yeah. Uptight too."

"I can tell, he seemed like he wanted to strangle me when he picked up the phone."

Emil couldn't help but smile. "That's only because he thought you were a friend of his who was trying to prank call him or something."

"Oh. Nice friend."

"Yeah."

Silence filled the air.

"Anyways, the reason I called you is because I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to a party." Leon asked.

"A party?"

"Yeah, it's tonight. Me and all the other workers will be there. It's in our basement; gonna be pretty wicked."

"Basement of where?"

"Yao's Palace."

"Yao must really trust you guys if he allows you to use it."

"I guess." Leon said uneasily, dropping the subject.

"So, you coming?"

"Sure. I need to tell Lukas."

"Kay. It's seven until Midnight."

"Thanks. I'll talk with you later." Emil said.

"Wait."

"Yes?" Emil asked.

"Are you _iceicebaby_ on Tumblr?" Leon asked.

_WHAT THE PUFFINS. HOW'D HE FIND MY TUMBLR._

"...No."

"Well, it says your name. And a picture of you. And you're from Iceland. And you reblog weeaboo gifs. I'm pretty sure that's you."

Emil turned red. "Do you have Tumblr?"

"Leonsonfire. I followed you."

"I'll follow you back when I get online." Emil said.

"Kay. See you."

"Leon..." Emil mumbled.

"Yes?"

"How'd you find my Tumblr? Phone books don't contain URLs."

"Searched your name."

"...You were stalking me?" Emil asked.

The reciever end was silent.

"Fuck." Emil heard a voice mutter.

And then Leon hanged up.

_Stalker._ Emil thought to himself.

_A pretty cute one._

_But I'd never admit that to anyone..._

* * *

There are lots of surprises in life. Things that shock you beyond belief. Some of them for Emil included:

How so many people disliked black licorice.

How pale his skin was.

How attractive Leo-

Ahem.

Many surprises.

Tonight however, made all of those things seem as mundane as the sky being blue, grass being green, and Tino liking Heavy Metal.

(Actually, cross that out. Emil's still not used to that, and doubts he'll ever be.)

* * *

"Sure."

"Are you serious?" Emil exclaimed.

Right after the phone call, Emil went to the living room to ask Lukas. He had prepared himself for debating with his brother, followed by arguing, persuading, strict rules, insane promises, and a curfew earlier than Ancient Rome.

That however, was not the case.

"You can go." Lukas said again. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Emil said reluctantly.

Lukas looked at him questioningly.

"Nothing, really. I have to get ready, it's already 6PM." Emil said, more firmly this time.

His brother nodded and went back down to his book.

_I didn't even have to say anything to coax him..._

Pushing it out of his mind, he left the room to retreat to his bedroom to get dressed.

_Now...jeans or khakis? _

He held up the two options, one of them being a pair of black skinny jeans, and another being gray khakis pants.

"Jeans."

* * *

Half an hour after his brother left the apartment for the party, Lukas also went off on a trip of his own.

A secret one.

It pained him to let his younger brother out in the wild so easily like that, especially considering all the things that could go wrong at the party. Drugs..alcohol...he knew it was a simple get together, but still. He read an article online about Asian Frat Boys, and he pleaded to himself that those workers weren't like what he heard.

But tonight, Emil couldn't be home, no matter what.

Lukas ran out of the building, and stopped to catch his breath and fix his hair before continuing his walk.

Although he would never admit it out loud, Lukas wanted to look nice tonight.

Because when he turned the corner of the building, he knew exactly who would be there.

"Lukas!"

He was pulled into a tight hug, the scent of evergreen forest cologne and gelled hair inhaled instantly by him.

"Did you like my present? Sorry that I had to drop it off outside your flat, I was in a rush this morning."

"It's okay, and I loved the present. Thank you so much." Lukas responded with a rare smile, not even trying to squirm himself out of his boyfriend's grasp.

"You ready to go?" Matthias said, releasing his hug and taking Lukas's hand.

Lukas nodded, the seldom smile on his face growing.

"Perfect!" Matthias said, squeezing his boyfriend's hand in excitement.

And he couldn't help but chuckle softly in amusement and hold his lover's hand a little tighter, as they made their way down the nighttime streets.

Despite it being summer, it was quite a chilly evening. Matthias was wearing a hoodie, and Lukas was wearing his University crewneck on top of his polo. The wind gave a breeze in the air; the atmosphere outside was gray and gloomy.

But tonight.

_Tonight._

Lukas never felt so warm.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER EXTREMEEE. Yep! I couldn't help but have that little last scene in this chapter. ; D I hope that was surprising! REMEMBER TO REVIEW, FAVOURITE, AND FOLLOW THE HECK OUT OF THIS STORY. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


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